Device for indicating cooking temperatures of waffle irons and the like



June 17, 1930. J F, SMART' 1,763,991

VDEVICE FOR IND'ICATING COOKING TEMPERATURES OF WAFFLE IRONS AND THE LIKE Filedv Feb. 2o, 1929 gyn/vento@ l 59% I l Hfs l'tozmq Patented `lune 17, 1930 Unire rATEs AIPM'ENT OFFICE JOSEPH FREDERICK SMART, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO LANDfERS,

FRARY & CLARK, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTI- CUT DEVICE FOR INDICATING COOKING TEMPERATURES OF WAFFLE IRONS AND THE LIKE Application filed February 20, 1929. Serial No. 341,399.

The aimA of the present invention is to provide an improved, simplied and accurate arrangement for giving a visible signal when the electric grids of a waiile iron or the like have reached that degree of heat which is necessary for proper cooking.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a device of this sort having various features of novelty and advantage, and which is particularly characterizedby its simplicity and economy in construction, the ease and facility with which the parts may be assembled and mounted, and the accuracy with which the device operates.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown for illustrative purposes one of the embodiments which the present invention may take:

Figure 1 is an elevational view showing more or less dia'grammatically and partly in broken lines a wafHe iron equipped with a signal device of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the waie iron and shows the signal device in the position which it assumes when the iron is cold; and

Fig. 3 is al sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the waffle iron therein disclosed is illustrated by way of example only. The waffle iron is shown more or less diagrammatically, as it is obvious that the improvements of the present invention may be incorporated in waffle irons of various sizes and shapes, and the specific construction of the iron forms no part of the present invention. The waffle iron is shown as having a base 10 upon which is mounted the lower grid 11. The upper grid designated by the numeral 12 is hinged in the usual manner so as to be swunginto ing illustrated as it is an old and well-known one. Carried on the top of the grid 12 is a heating unit which is enclosed in a casing 13. The top of the grid 12, the heating unit thereon, and the signal device are all encased or housed in the top cover 14, which, as usual is made of sheet metal pressed to the desired form. The top cover in the present instance has a cylindrical skirt portion which rests upon a flange or ledge 15 of thegrid 12.

Referring now to the improvements of the present invention,the numeral 25 designates a thermostatic member which, if desired, may be in the form of a straight strip composed of two pieces of metal having different coefcients of expansion. One end of the thermostatic member isk secured to the L- shaped bracket 26, which in turn is secured to the top of the casing 13. The thermostatic member 25 is arranged to flex under temperature changes in a horizontal planethat is, in a plane parallel to the grid 12. Secured to the free end of thermostatic member 25 Vis a channel-shaped part 27, the arms of which extend forwardly towards the front of the waiile iron. Carried by these arms is a vertical pin 28.

The tell-tale device or indicator perse is indicated by the numeral 30. This indicator s is in the form of a flat strip, the rear end, of which has an opening through which the pin 28 more or less loosely extends. Provided in the front of the top cover 14 is a horizontal slot 31 in which the forward end of the indicator 30 is slidably mounted. The top of element 25.

The operation of my improved mechanism will be readily understood fromthe foregoing 'roo I sa

description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. When the waffle iron is cold the parts will be in theI position shown in Figures 2 and 3, and in which position the indicator 30 is sufliciently withdrawn into the Vtop cover to conceal the word Hot As the iron heats up, the thermostatic member 25 will flex so that the yfree end thereof will move forwardly thereby gradually moving the indicator forwardly. When the indicator has been moved to a position where the word Hotlis entirely visible, (and preferably to a position where the line 32 may just be observed when the indicator has such a line), the operator will understand that the iron has reached that `degree ofheat for which the der is negligible. By preference, the rear end of the kindicator is connected in a manner shown to theJ thermostatic'element so that the indicator may easily adjust itself, thus eliminating the necessity of accurately making the parts. The device may be very easily read as all the cook has to do is to look at the forward end of the indicator andwhen he sees the line 32 appear he knows that the iron has reached the desired temperature.

As many changes could be made in the Vabove construction and many ap-parently widely dierent embodimentsof this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained inthe above description or Y shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

` Itis also to be understood that the language used in the following claimsis. intended to said element may move in a direction torwithdraw said indicator.

2. A device for indicating cooking temper- .atures of waffle irons and the like, and in combination, a grid, a heating element associated therewith, and a cover housing said heating element and grid; a thermostatic bar within said cover and arranged to Hex in a plane parallel to the plane of said grid, said cover 'having an opening in'its side wall, and an indicator connected to said bar and adapted to slide in said opening, said indicator having indicating -means which is exposed to view when said grid has reached a predetermined degree of heat.

3. A device for indicating cooking temperatures of wallie irons and the like and in combinatio-n, a cover adapted to enclose a heating 'unit associated with a grid, said cover having `a skirt portion provided with a slot, a thermostatic bar within said cover and adapted to flex in a horizontal plane under heat changes,

`and an indicator comprising a fiat strip, the

forward end of which is mounted for sliding movement in said slot and the rear end of which is connected to said bar.

1l. A device for indicating cooking temperatures of waffle Virons and the like and in combination, a grid, av heating unit mounted therein and having a casing, .a cover housing said casing and provided with a skirt havingv a slot, a thermostatic bar fixed to the top` of vsaid casing andarranged to flex in al horizontal plane, a channel-shaped member carried by the free end of said bar, a pin carried by `the arms o-f said membenan indicator comprising a fiat strip having an opening in its "rear end through which said pin extends, the

forward end of said indicator being slidably mounted in said slot and having on its upper Vface indicating means, and a stop for limiting `the exent to which said thermostatic bar may flex in a direction to withdraw said indicator within said cover.

JOSEPH FREDERICK SMART.

Vcover all of the generic and specific features l of the invention hereindescribedl and all vstatements of the scope o-f'the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

l. A device for indicating cooking temper- Y atures ofwafiie irons and the like, and coin- *y prising a thermostatic element fixed at one end and adapted to flex in a horizontal plane,

a horizontally disposed indicator adapted to be moved by said element to and from an exposed position, said indicator at its forward end and on its upper face bearing indicating means, means for connecting the inner end of said indicator to the free end of said element,

and a stop for limiting the extent to which 

